9200 FT

Last Day of Summer-First Day of Fall

2009-09-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

I really don't post here as often as I should.

Had our first frost last Thursday, the 17th of September, and again on Friday... don't know about Saturday or Sunday as I didn't get up early enough to find out.

But yesterday, the 21st we got about four inches of snow.

Today, as I drove home from work it started snowing and is snowing still... Winter Weather Advisory up from the NWS and the forecast is for 4-10.

Gotta love the Rockies.

June

2009-06-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's the 12th of June already and we are still getting frost in the morning, first time if five years I can recall frost in the morning when I leave for work.

Been getting a lot of rain lately, which is good after many years of drought, everything is nice and green, and we finally have leaves on the aspen. We are still getting snow on the peak and last weekend a friend of mine went on a motorcycle run with the local VFW to the top of Mt. Evans, it was 29 degrees and snowy at the top (14,240 ft).

Been seeing elk, mulies, lots of foxes (which drives the dog nuts), and saw my first Rocky Mountain Bluebird the other day, and I swear, the Magpies are the size of chickens!

Where's Spring

2009-05-13T19:47:00.001-07:00

Well it's almost here, the middle of May. The elk are seen both morning and night along with a few mulies here and there. Oddly enough, we don't have leaves yet, the aspen are just beginning to bud. Things are beginning to green up, cows are with calves, and while still somewhat cold at night, the days are beginning to be somewhat pleasant.

Nice, albiet somewhat strange day today... warmer up here in the mountains than it was down on the plains when I left work. Hit 70 before the overcast moved in, although we are not supposed to get any rain. I suppose I'll have to clean up around the property now that most of the snow is gone, well mostly gone except down by the barn where it slides off the roof forming great heaps. It's amazing what seems to blow in over the winter, littering the ground before the vegetation takes off. Time to clean up the property and clean off the deck in time for Memorial Day.

March in the Mountains

2009-03-06T18:37:00.001-08:00

This past week has been quite interesting, temperatures in the 70's down in the city, upper 50's at altitude, been able to drive home with the top down three days in a row, the envy of all my east coast friends. Now the weather hasn't been perfect mind you, those warm temperatures came with 50-70 mph winds, a little fire up here in the mountains and a big fire down on the Army post.

Today was a little cooler and this evening it snowed, so I guess that quite possibly we are back to looking forward to spring sometime in May... and the news today announced that the front range (where the mountains meet the plains for those of you unfamiliar with our terrain), is in a 'moderate-drought', not something to look forward to after years of severe drought. It's been an odd year with very little snow, although the western slope and ski resorts are doing fine. I can actually see most of my driveway right now... the earliest that has occurred in six winters now. Even the lake is starting to melt off around the edges.

Cheers!

~Finntann~

Colorado in January

2009-01-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of the things I love about Colorado. January 20th, the middle of winter, and it was seventy degrees. Well it was seventy degrees down in the flatlands when I got off work. Put the top down, kicked back, and enjoyed the cruise home. At about 8600 feet it cooled down enough to roll the windows up to cut down on the wind, but it was still comfortable when I got home. Driving on snow with the top down in January, only in Colorado!

The Wolf Moon

2009-01-11T20:31:00.000-08:00

Well last night was the largest full moon of the year, the Wolf Moon. Well we haven't seen any wolves in awhile, but it was quite spectacular anyway. We haven't had much snow this year, but we still have enough to cover the ground, and it was almost bright enough to read by. When I lived in the city the moon was pretty much sidelined by all the lights, it was never really all that dark anyway. Here, dark is dark, on a moonless night you can barely see your hand in front of your face if all the lights are off, the moon then becomes much more of a presence.

The light becomes pervasive... it's bright outside and it's bright enough inside to see your way around. With the snow, the moon gives off a cool blue glow that seems to come in all the windows equally. Tonight, it's not quite as bright as high clouds are streaming in... the forecast is for snow tomorrow.

A Turf Fire

2009-01-02T00:29:00.000-08:00

Having a long Irish genealogy, I have a great deal if interest in Irish history, music, culture, and the like. That being said, I received a rather unique Christmas present this year, a large box of peat bricks, also known as turf.

According to my research, the first written records of peat being used as a fuel dates back to 7th century Ireland, although the first usage undoubtedly predates that by quite a bit. For use as a fuel peat is cut from the bog, generally in spring, stacked, and allowed to dry over the summer. The peat I received was manufactured by Bord na Mona (http://www.bnm.ie/fuels/index.jsp?&pID=306&nID=310) and came from www.irishpeat.com .

Having experimented last night with a few bricks of peat, and several newspapers (I'm not kidding) to get it lit... I started out with a wood fire today and once we had a good bed of coals, stacked the peat in a 2 by 2 by 2 pile, alternating the bricks 90 degrees. Even sitting over a bed of glowing red coals it took quite awhile to get going, perhaps an hour to an hour and a half before we had a bit flame.

It seems to burn cooler than wood, at least that's what I'm guessing as the flame is not bright and the burning peat glows a dark cherry red, but throws quite a bit of heat and a lot more evenly than wood. Overall I'd have to say it's a better fuel than wood, requiring less fuss, once it's going you can pretty much ignore it, and my little pile burned for about eight hours.

The aroma of burning peat is considered to be quite a distinct and unforgettable scent. The smoke is not as acrid as wood smoke, and the smell is faintly sour with nutty overtones (Geez, sounds like I'm describing a wine). It is the scent of Irish cottages and pubs, and not at all unpleasant. The scent was somewhat familiar, so I am guessing that I've smelled it before, my best guess was that I probably was around a peat fire in the Cotswold's, although unaware of it at the time.

As a fuel, it is a low-sulphur, low-smoke fuel and in Ireland, can be burned in places that wood and coal can not. While not a true cut of turf, the Bord na Mona peat has been processed and ground and remanufactured into briquettes, it at least gives a good impression of what a true turf fire is like. I can't imagine trying to start a true brick of turf, as difficult as these were to get going they are supposed to be easier to light than pure turf.

All in all an interesting memory with which to start this new year, just wish I had a draught Guinness to go with it.

Slainte

~Finntann~

You know you're from Colorado if:

2008-12-30T18:46:00.000-08:00

North is mountains on the left, South is mountains on the right, and East and West are where all those damn liberals come from.

You can make it over a 12,000 foot pass in four feet of snow, but can't make it into work in four inches.

You hang a $5000 mountain bike on the back of your $500 car.

When you wake up and it's eighty degrees, you wonder if it will snow.

Explosive decompression of the aircraft cabin doesn't faze you in the least.

You don't know the population of towns, but you damn well know their elevations.

You get seriously annoyed when people freak out just because there is a twenty-foot statue of a man on a horse in the middle of the intersection.

You think that the two parties of our two-party system are Republican and Californian.

People from other states breathe five times as often as you do.

You know what the PRB is (People's Republic of Boulder)

Potato chips are always crunchy, they might get moldy, but they are always crunchy.

Your idea of formal wear is ironed denim.

When people out east say they have mountains, you laugh.

Not only have you urinated on the continental divide so it can run into both oceans, but you get a certain feeling of satisfaction knowing that both California and Texas are downstream.

When visiting friends back east you can run up ten flights of stairs without getting winded.

Whenever you get lost, you stop and look for the mountains.

You've run both your furnace and air conditioner in the same day.

You know what upslope and downslope mean.

You think red means three more cars.

When people say, oh look an airplane, you instinctively look down.

If applied to buildings, FAA regulations would require that your house be pressurized.

You've driven at altitudes that would require oxygen if you were operating a plane.

Driving directions normally include the word "Pass".

Christmas Morn

2008-12-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all!

And a beautiful morning it is; Clear blue skies, pure white snow, and a temperature of 18 degrees. The wind is calm right now, but the forecast is for high winds, 50's gusting to 70 later on today.

Christmas in the mountains always seems like Christmas... I don't think we've had a Christmas that wasn't white since I've moved here and there is probably a foot of snow on the ground right now.

Could be better, a few years ago we got three feet in the 'Christmas Blizzard'... but for now all of the storms seem to be focused on the western slope. Perhaps the wind will push some of it this way, we have a 20% chance tonight and a 40% chance tomorrow. Although the weather around here is a little unpredictable, back in the beginning of the month we had a chance of flurries and got a foot.

Well, perhaps more later...

An introduction of sorts...

2008-12-21T20:19:00.001-08:00

High up in the Rocky Mountains on the north slopes of 'America's Mountain', Pikes Peak.

A log cabin on a north facing slope overlooks an alpine meadow with a creek running through it. A covered porch faces west, the perfect spot to watch the sun set from and listen to the creek babble. A deck faces east, eye level with the treetops and overlooks both the sunrise and a small lake. We have from time to time both elk and deer wander through, the occasional bear, frequent foxes, and a wide assortment of other furry and feathered critters. We have mountain bluebirds, magpies, Stellar's jays, peregrine falcons, golden eagles, and in the summer a profusion of hummingbirds. On the ground, Abert's squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and field mice. I have even seen a bald eagle, once. It flew west up the valley over the creek below, passing by at eye level from my perch on the deck. I ran in to get my camera and made it back outside as it headed back down the valley headed east. The problem with digital cameras is how long it takes them to power up...and unfortunately I was unable to get a picture.

There are disadvantages to living at 9200 ft., as currently it is 4 below zero and the snow that is on the ground is likely to remain there until April or May, of course the wood stove keeps the house warm and toasty. I am driving my Jeep this time of year, as without four-wheel drive you are unlikely to be able to get up the hill to the house. Winds are frequent and commonly in the 40-50 mph range. The last frost of the season is generally in mid-June and the first in September. Gardening isn't out of the question, but we have learned it is far easier to encourage the natives to grow than to bring in anything from lower altitudes.

The most noticeable difference from living in a town or city is the quiet, and the dark. Early morning and after dark the only sounds are those of nature. The babbling creek we listen to from the front porch is over 100 yards away, yet on a warm calm summer evening is the most noticeable sound, well that and the frogs... or are they toads? Given a light breeze, the sound of it rustling through the aspen leaves and pine branches takes over. Summer mornings are generally calm with a light fog drifting down along the creek while the house remains in the golden light of sunrise. In winter things tend to be crisp and clear, the snow lying blue-white under the trees. At night, without a moon, the sky is pitch black and sprinkled with a thousand stars...and one can easily see why our galaxy is called 'the milky way'. Shooting stars are common and easy to spot.

I work in the city, going in fairly early I miss all the traffic, but the drive home is a commute... at least until I enter the first pass into the mountains, whereupon it ceases to be a 'commute' and becomes a drive. Once through the pass, the traffic of the city behind me, it is a leisurely and relaxing drive the rest of the way home... climbing (vertically) half a mile up into what is mostly Pike National Forest, through the towns of Cascade, Chipita Park, Green Mountain Falls, Crystola, and Woodland Park. The final leg of my journey often brings me past fields with herds of Elk and small groups of Mule deer.

Thus sets the stage for my thoughts, pondering, and commentary.